• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

ID Golden Oriole? (1 Viewer)

E

eric nicho

Registered User
Im just seeing if Ive got the hang of posting on this message board.
I spent Xmas in Gran Canaria. I saw a vivid yellow bird, dark streaks on wings, greenish yellow crown, grey-blue bill and red eye. It was about the size of a blackbird; hopping about in a bush. Would this be a Golden Oriole?
 
Hi Eric,

And welcome to Bird Forum. This sounds like a Golden Oriole (probably a female or young male with the streaking and greenish crown). Golden Orioles normally have a red or pink bill rather than grey-blue but there's not much else that I can think of that you might find in that area that would be so bright a yellow and of that size. So probably a Golden O.
 
Hi Eric,

Welcome to BirdForum!

Not a Golden Oriole, as they have bright red beaks and a brown eye.

The red eye of your bird also rules out Baltimore Oriole (black eyes), which might otherwise have been a (remote!)possibility.

My guess is some sort of escaped cagebird, maybe one of the weaver finches, but I'm not very familiar with them so can't say for sure.

Michael
 
Gran Canaria, isn't that where they have all these aviaries with exotic birds? (Loro Parque, with the last of the Spix' Macaws)
Sounds like an exotic escapee to me.
 
Hi Eric,

I'd just like to offer you a welcome to Bird Forum on behalf of Admin and the Moderators :t:

Can't help with the ID I'm afraid.
 
GreatHornedOwl said:
Gran Canaria, isn't that where they have all these aviaries with exotic birds? (Loro Parque, with the last of the Spix' Macaws)
Sounds like an exotic escapee to me.
Click to expand...
Hi GHO,

Loro Parque is on Tenerife - but Gran Canaria probably also has similar places

Michael
 
Hi Eric,
Michael's right,most certainly not a Golden Oriole,and clearly an escape of some sort,though I have no idea what it might be....
Harry H
 
Michael Frankis said:
Hi GHO,

Loro Parque is on Tenerife - but Gran Canaria probably also has similar places

Michael
Click to expand...


... What would I do without you, Michael ??? ;)

On the subject of Loro Parque : there are some more Spix' macaws in captivity elsewhere I think - Switzerland, the Philippines, Brazil, and a few probably in Qatar, all in the hands of private collectors except those in Brazil. So how does the Spix qualify now - "Extinct, except for the wealthy" ?

It seems those islands (Lanzarote fe.) would be good places to see Hoopoes and Shrikes, is that correct ??
 
Aside from the bill colour (which is certainly a problem if it definitely was blue-grey) I still think this bird could potentially have been a Golden Oriole. The difference between brown and red in the eyes could be difficult to judge so we shouldn't read too much into that. That said, if Eric is sure that the bill was blue and not red then I agree that we have an escape on our hands (or maybe even a vagrant from sub-Saharan Africa?).
 
Hi Tim,
Agreed,and also would imagine that a subadult male/old female Golden Oriole would hardly show a vivid yellow body but a greenish crown,even if the bill colour was explained away?
Harry H
 
What was that you were saying on another thread about a Whinchat in Ireland Harry? An old female or subadult male Golden Oriole would look quite yellow - more yellow than most European birds I can think of. Whether 'vivid' or not is fairly subjective.

I still agree that it may well be an escape but I think that (given that we don't have that much to go on) there is still the possibility of Golden Oriole. More information from Eric could help us to be absolutely definite but I'm not sure we're at that stage yet.
 
Hi Andrew,
Please don't misunderstand me:I am not ruling out the possibility of Golden Oriole wintering so far north,especially given that the climate would be suitable.
What I AM saying is that,based on the description given,this bird sounds at odds with any age/sex of Golden Oriole.I am more than aware that imm.males are greenish at first,becoming yellow later,and am also aware that old females can be very yellow indeed,and difficult to seperate from adult males.
However,I have yet to see a photo of the species that suggests that the body plumage could be yellow while the crown was still greenish yellow.Also,the description refers to 'dark streaks(my italics)' on the wings:Golden Oriole has dark wings,but the wording used here would suggest paler wings with contrasting streaking.Finally,the bill and eye colour are not indicative of Golden Oriole.
While I'd be the first to hold my hands up if and when 'good' photographs become available,I feel that you have perhaps misinterpreted my comments?Rest assured that I'm no expert,and could easily be wrong,but I'm offering my honest opinion!
Agree that more information from Eric would be quite valuable here.
Harry H
 
Harry Hussey said:
Hi Eric,
Michael's right,most certainly not a Golden Oriole,and clearly an escape of some sort,though I have no idea what it might be....
Harry H
Click to expand...
Hi Harry,

Maybe I am misinterpreting your comments but, well, see above ;). I actually agree (as I have throughout) that the description is far from perfect and is at least partly contradictory for a Golden Oriole, but given that we have rather few details, I doubt it would be conclusive for anything else either.

Tim - In the case of weavers - are these ones that fit the bill the size of Blackbirds as Eric says this bird was? Possibly there are some very large weavers this size (my knowledge of the family is a bit limited) and obviously size is hard to judge too, but I'm not convinced they fit the bill any more than Golden Oriole does, given the information we have. I've seen Golden Orioles perched in bushes (on migration) and although I don't know whether I'd describe them as 'hopping about' either, bird movement is hard to describe in words.

More information is required before any of us rule out any possibilities, least of all Eric's inclination that it might have been a Golden Oriole. Perhaps we'll never be sure but he has a better idea of what it actually looked like than any of us do.
 
Hi Fifebirder

no they aren't blackbird size but apart from that.....

on the other hand nothing seems right for golden oriole esp timing and behaviour never mind plumage not fitting

we only have a description to go on which doesn't fit Golden Oriole - i.e. all features quoted contradict Golden Oriole features, as well as time etc... It could be a weaver as the only non fitting feature is the size plus these are kept in cages.
 
Okay Tim but I would say that 'nothing seems right for golden oriole' is a bit strong:

vivid yellow bird - plausible in most plumages e.g. adult male, older female, subadult male
dark streaks on wings - most females could certainly be said to show these
greenish yellow crown - okay for most females
grey-blue bill - admittedly not so good
red eye - well maybe brownish red
It was about the size of a blackbird - a reasonable description of Golden Oriole size
hopping about in a bush - a bit of an odd way of describing things but maybe a Golden Oriole in an unusual context might act strangely

The combination of features seems unlikely for most plumages of Golden Oriole but it is a rather variable species and aside from the bill colour I don't think any feature is really bad for one. Also the only person who saw the bird thinks it might have been a GO, which, given the information we have, is quite supportive.

With the weavers, do you have particular species in mind?
 
Watcha Fifebirder

there are shedloads of weavers that are possible esp.if it's a cagebird......

I wont deny that of course it could be a GO but any committee would file it under 'reject' immediately ;)
 
might be worth having a look at imm male Scarlet Tanager.... bar the eye and perhaps size is as good a fit as GO for the description...the bill is a good fit though!
 
The bill colour certainly poses a problem and the behaviour sounds a bit odd. While not ruling out Golden Oriole could it be one of the Bush-shrikes?
 
Warning! This thread is more than 20 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Similar threads

SueO
Bird List for Western Mexico April 23-May 12, 2023
Replies
0
Views
568
SueO
SueO
wolfbirder
GRAN CANARIA - 2- 6th February 2024
2
Replies
34
Views
2K
Mike Crawley
Mike Crawley
B
LA County 4/1/23
Replies
3
Views
675
bunnyrich
B
P
Masai Mara ID assistance, please.
Replies
4
Views
642
Pedroinspain
P
Aladdin
Birds from San Fransisco Bay area - 12 April 2023
2
Replies
20
Views
2K
Aladdin
Aladdin

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Back
Top